A Journal of a Holy War
by Rikkudo
Summary: We are the Uesugi, and through the strength of our faith Japan will be ours!
1. Sengoku Jidai

Fifteen-forty-five. This is Sengoku Jidai: the Age of the Country at War.

For 200 years the Ashikaga shoguns have ruled from Kyoto. Great splendor and power were theirs. Now the over-mighty clans no longer obey. The time has come for a new warlord to become shogun.

But who will be victorious?

Uesugi lands have always provided for our people. Our enemies are many and envious. They threaten our borders, and look for any weakness.

Faith is our strength, our wellspring. Let others be corrupted. We have the guidance of heaven!

Our monks pray, but they also fight: and fight well!

But weapons alone do not win wars. Our merchants are cunning. Wealth buys many victories!

Bishamonten, the war god, has awoken! Now is the time to defeat out enemies!

All will bow to the Uesugi clan. We wait no longer.

Destiny calls!


	2. 1545

**1545**

* * *

We are the Uesugi. Following the death of our Lord Tamekage, dominion of our clan had befallen his son, Harukage. This did not sit well amongst the great Uesugi retainers who found him weak of body and will. By their recommendation, Harukage's young but well-respected brother has now been thrust into power. This has divided the clan. The Uesugi face only suffering at the hands of Harukage and his entourage, his forces must be crushed. Only then can we be one.

* * *

We retreated to our stronghold in the castletown of Echigo, and predictably, as there were no farms to destroy or villages to raze, the rebels attacked us head-on with a force of 465 soldiers. The fools. They only make our task easier. In the name of our Daimyo, Uesugi Kenshin, we will be victorious!

* * *

They split up their army. A detachment of archers came up from behind, presumably hoping to pick us off whilst we engaged their main army. They seemed to forget that it is a bad idea to leave archers defenseless. Our Daimyo, Uesugi Kenshin, and his honorable brother, Uesugi Masakage, rode out with their personal bodyguards to eliminate the archers. The rest of our army were given orders to defend the castle stronghold.

The archers realized our intentions and managed to fire two volleys before our cavalry charged into them. Ten of our samurai fell, but not in vain, for the entire force of archers was annihilated. The rebels' main army attempted to scale our walls, but were summarily beaten back and pressed into a panicked retreat. Our lord rode hard and cut the fleeing enemy down again and again. They fell to a man.

The Uesugi are one again.

* * *

Our lord has decided to invest in our farms and our ports, aiming to build our economy. Alongside this project, the clansmen have begun paving the roads with stone in hopes of aiding our war efforts. They will be greatly rewarded for their service.

* * *

It is autumn, and the world changes to prepare for winter. But not all changes are welcome. To the east, former friends prepare to invade. The Ashina shall dearly regret this transgression. We will wait in ambush, and when they run back to their lands with their tails between their legs, we will follow with the fury of Bishamonten and crush them.

* * *

Winter has come and the Ashina have declared war.

Soon the crows will feast upon their corpses, but for now we wait. In preparation for the coming conflict, our lord ordered the recruitment of a new archer's unit to help man the walls. Many young men were eager to serve in the coming war, so many that quite a few were told to wait just in case the Uesugi needed any more men.

This war will be swift, and our lord merciless.


	3. 1546

**1546**

* * *

Spring is here, and the Ashina have yet to invade. But we know they are building up their forces. It is only a matter of time now. Our lord in his wisdom cautions us not to forget our other enemies. So we watch, and wait. But soon we will be forced to march on the Ashina to punish them for their treachery.

Our lord continues to develop our economy, knowing that it will soon be needed to fuel our war efforts. He has recently begun the construction of a trading port. Who he intends to trade with I do not know.

* * *

Summer has arrived, and with it troubling news. Word has come of the demise of the great clans Otomo and Hojo. They and their enemies are far away, but we Uesegi know that we must prepare ourselves, for it is only a matter of time before we must face them as well.

Even with threats in every direction, our lord remains patient, for it is not the impetuous fool that wins the war. We continue to build our economy, and soon, an army that shall conquer the world.

* * *

It is Autumn, and the Ashina have invaded with a full army. Our clan has finished preparations for the war not a moment too soon, for our fortifications have increased six-fold. Our walls are higher, and our gates less susceptible to attack. We are ready. The trap is set. The Ashina have come to die.

However, while we can easily defeat the Ashina, it seems they've called their allies as reinforcements. The Jinbo march from the south with an army of their own. It is doubtful that they will reach in time to be of assistance to the Ashina, but Lord Kenshin has ordered us to keep a close eye on them nonetheless.

For now, we wait.

But there are disturbing rumors afloat. They say the Ouchi have turned their backs on the true path, forsaken the great Buddha and accepted the Christian faith of those wretched foreigners. When the time comes, we Uesugi will make them see the error of their ways.

* * *

The Ashina have made the mistake of attacking us where we are strongest. Lord Kenshin shall lead us to victory once again, and then we will follow the tattered remnants of the Ashina army to seize their stronghold for our own.

The enemy sought to surround us in our fortress and attack from every direction, splitting their army into groups of three units and scattering them across the field. It matters not.

They attacked as a single mass, targeting every section of our walls equally. It was a hard fight. We lost two units of yari ashigaru, but not in vain. Their army has been crushed.

Now we must focus on consolidating our own strength before we begin our campaign against the Ashina.

* * *

It is winter now, and our lord rode out to wipe out the remnants of the Ashina army that still lurk in our land. We encountered a small detachment consisting of a singing yari ashigaru unit and a bow ashigaru unit. It wasn't a battle so much as it was a slaughter.

Afterwards, in preparation for our impending campaign, Lord Kenshin ordered the construction of a sake den. Not only would it increase the happiness of his subjects, but would also provide a steady income which could be used to fuel the war efforts.

The Ashina know we are coming for them, and they quake with fear.


	4. 1547

**1547**

* * *

Spring has arrived, and our lord returns triumphant, having successfully driven the Ashina from our lands. The Jinbo lay in the outskirts, waiting for the right opportunity. For now, Lord Kenshin is content to simply watch as they starve in the forests. But as a precautionary measure, he has ordered the recruitment of two new ashigaru units to replace the men that fell in our conflict with the Ashina.

Lord Kenshin has once again returned his attention to building our economy. The sake den is nearly done, most likely by the beginning of next season. He has also ordered the construction of a military port, allowing us to build different kinds of ships should we desire. Although, it must be said... we Uesugi have no navy to speak of, nor any real experience in handling ships. I fear disaster were our clan to mount a major naval campaign.

* * *

Summer is upon us, and the Jinbo army has finally decided to make its move. It is suspected that they were waiting for reinforcements of their own after the Ashina fell before they had the chance to arrive.

Our sake den has been completed, but there is no time to enjoy its pleasures. All efforts are being concentrated on the upcoming siege battle. There are rumors that the Jinbo have gathered samurai to their cause. This is worrying.

* * *

The Jinbo have besieged our castletown with over 1200 men. They picked a day of torrential downpour. It is unknown why they did this, as the walls will become even harder to scale.

The enemy army attacked as a single mass from the north. Our archers circled around to pick them off as they came up to the walls, with spearmen waiting to quickly take their place once the enemy have begun scaling the walls.

Their army broke against the wall. Lord Kenshin led the cavalry down to wipe out the fleeing survivors.

* * *

Now it is Autumn, and the remnants of the Jinbo army flee towards their homeland. Lord Kenshin swiftly mustered the army to wipe them out and has returned victorious.

Our army requires a few more seasons to replenish its ranks, but soon we will be marching against our enemies and attacking _their_ castletowns.

We have received more troubling news. To the south, the great clan Ikko Ikki have been destroyed. While we devout followers of Shinto Buddhism celebrate the destruction of such a heretical faith, we cannot help but be wary of what destroyed them. Winter is not the only thing that comes to our borders...

Our lord has received a report that a small detachment of the Ashina army has once again invaded our land, this time aiming to raze our farms and our ports. The Uesugi army rides out to meet them in force.

* * *

Winter is here. As our lord rode against the Ashina, he remarked that the roads, while good, could be better. The clansmen took that as a challenge and even now toil to make our roads worthy of our lord's praise.

The cowardly Ashina, once they realized they would be facing the full might of the Uesugi, fled back to their homelands.

We have received dire news. To the west, the great clan Takeda along with their allies the Imagawa have declared war on us. We can only assume that they are directly responsible for the demise of the Hojo.

Our vassals, the Yamaguchi, are the only thing standing between us and annihilation. For all our lord bolsters our economy, we are not prepared. It is time to go on the offensive.


	5. 1548

Spring has arrived, and the land is a sea of blossoms drifting in the wind.

But not everything is such a lovely sight. There are sightings of Jinbo vessels off our coasts. As far as we can tell, there are no armies aboard them, but their presence is still worrying. We Uesugi have yet to build up a substantial navy, and the war with the Takeda and the Imagawa looms before us.

Our trading port is undergoing militaristic modifications which should be complete by the end of this season. With a new selection of naval units at our disposal, we will finally be able to claim the seas that surround our coasts.

As baffling as it is, our lord confessed that he wished our home territory in Echigo were not so vast. It makes it harder to defend, and harder to launch invasions against enemy clans. In some ways, even with their precarious positioning, our vassals the Yamanouchi have a great territorial advantage with so many avenues of attack.

On a more domestic note, the renovations of the sake den are nearly complete, and by the beginning of next season we will be in the possession of a gambling hall. Many of the men are very eager to help with the construction, chasing after promises of extra sake. Drunks, the lot of them, but our lord does not mind overly much so long as they still do his bidding.

Meanwhile, the subjects of the Uesugi toil to better the roads to help with our military campaigns in any way they can. But it is hard, arduous work, and they won't be finished for a long while.

* * *

Summer has come with ill tidings.

To the north our peaceful neighbors the Mogami have been crushed by the great clan Date who already have three provinces in their grip. We are slowly being surrounded by hostile clans, hungry for conquest. If the Uesugi wish to survive, they must press the attack. In response, Lord Kenshin has commissioned the recruitment of two ashigaru bow units of 120 men each. We cannot face the Date outright, but we _can_ destroy the Ashina and claim their province of Fukushima for ourselves. With the new resources, the Uesugi will be able to endure the onslaught of the Date and the Takeda.

The renovations for the sake den and trading port are complete, and the province of Echigo now boasts its own gambling hall and military port. This is sure to bring in more revenue to aid in our clan's war effort. Lord Kenshin is most pleased. The roads are still under construction, but better than before. The new estimates for completion are two seasons at the most.

* * *

Fall has announced itself with leaves of every color drifting in a gentle breeze.

The small Jinbo navy spies on our province just beyond shore, but we do not have any ships of our own to battle with them, so we can do nothing. Despite the Jinbo's presence, Lord Kenshin has left with the entirety of our forces for his campaign against the Ashina. As a countermeasure, he has commissioned to more units of bow ashigaru units to defend the castle whilst he's away. If the Jinbo or Takeda try to take advantage of our absence, we will not be defenseless.

As a small bit of good news, the construction on the roads is nearly complete, and will be usable by next season.

* * *

The snow has begun to fall. Winter is here.

Our lord lurks at the edge of Ashina territory with his army, wisely choosing not to force his men to endure an entire winter in a territory they are not familiar with. By choosing to weather the worst of it in our own land, Lord Kenshin has successfully kept our army intact and our morale hight.

But no sooner did he settle at the edge of Ashina territory than did he receive word of a great invasion by the Takeda. Whether by coincidence or careful observation on their part, it does not matter. The result is the same. We do not have the manpower to properly defend the castle, even with the two archer units that were just recruited. Lord Kenshin has abandoned the campaign and rushes to defend our castle, but we fear he may arrive in time.


	6. The End of Days

We were right, our lord was not fast enough. We face battle against far too many soldiers. They have 2100 men to our 435. It will be a miracle if we are to hold out.

But hope is not lost, for even if we are to fall, Lord Kenshin is a great man with loyal soldiers at his command. He will avenge us and take back our homeland from these wretches Takeda.

They came in three groups. Three spear units from the north, three from the south, and a massive army from the southeast. We are doomed.

We have been completely overrun despite all of our best efforts.

We are sorry, Lord Kenshin. We have failed you.

Please, do what we could not and defeat the Takeda. All of our hopes rest with you.

 _I do not fear death._

 _For like the beautiful cherry tree;_

 _Life shall bloom again._


End file.
